MFK PLEASE HELP ME!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Riv D;3507146; said:
OK, I'm SOOO close to calling it quits and getting completely out!:(
If no one can help me solve this problem, that's it.
So, 6 months ago I got a 220, built a PVC overflow, and added a ton of other stuff.
I wanted a bare bottom, but wanted something different, so I put in slate tile.
Then later found out that it was the wrong kind silicone i used with the mildew resistant stuff in it,but I couldn't get the tile out without cracking the tank, so I decided to seal it over with ZooPoxy.
The problem I encountered was that this stuff wasn't curing properly, and I keep adding layers, wait a week for it to cure only to find soft spots; so I dig out the soft spots, remix new zoopoxy, and fill in the holes. I've done this several times already.
After doing this multiple times, I finally got to a point when the entire tank was cured, so I added water a few day ago.
When I did this, areas of the bottom turned white, the zoopoxy reacted to the water, what should have been cured never was and never will be.
NOW, My question to everyone out there is... What do I do now???
I'm ready to put a sledge hammer through this thing!!!
I have so many layers of stuff on the bottom of this tank it's ridiculous!
I just don't know what to do anymore, it feels like a lost cause.
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I don't get it at all, why did you use slate tiles on the bottom, and why did you glue, cement or epoxy them directly to the bottom of your tank, if you wanted a BB tank, I'm totally lost here. Wait let me go back again............

Ok this is my opion only, at this stage I would just empty the tank and use it for something else, ie: Lizards, frogs, spiders, or a monument to WTF I was thinking when I wasn't drunk. Why would you tile the.... never mind.

Go out a buy yourself another tank, chalk this one upto WTF was I thinkg of... an leave it at that.

Or just fill in the whole thing with gravel as you should have done to begin with. F this BB tank thing knowone has ever been able to explain to me why anyone would use a bare bottom setup. I'm sure fish don't like it at all and it looks it crap, it's like a plant without soil.:irked:
:popcorn:
 
Tequila;3513435; said:
I don't get it at all, why did you use slate tiles on the bottom, and why did you glue, cement or epoxy them directly to the bottom of your tank, if you wanted a BB tank, I'm totally lost here.
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a tiled tank is still a bare bottom tank... a bare bottom tank is a tank with no substrate like sand or gravel. Alot of people are starting to tile the bottom of the tank as it can be more appealing looking to some. I suppose to be a true bare bottom tank, it would have to be just the glass, but the tiles give it a better look with all of the same benifits of a bare bottom. glueing them down was a mistake though IMO, they dont need to be....
 
joey020283;3513522; said:
a tiled tank is still a bare bottom tank... a bare bottom tank is a tank with no substrate like sand or gravel. Alot of people are starting to tile the bottom of the tank as it can be more appealing looking to some. I suppose to be a true bare bottom tank, it would have to be just the glass, but the tiles give it a better look with all of the same benifits of a bare bottom. glueing them down was a mistake though IMO, they dont need to be....
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Tile would be less efficient then just leaving it glass, there will be cracks in tile. The "it is for looks" argument does not do it for me. Now he has a big tank that is basically useless.

Live and learn
 
I think the guy has been hammered enough. We all make mistakes.

Anytime someone tries a DIY project, we should encourage and support them. We all have setbacks in our projects; ideas that look good on paper, but don't work out in practice. (Like the coating stuff he tried to use that is not curing adequately.)

Why not tile the bottom? I have seen pics of some of the tiled bottom tanks, they can be quite beautiful! Just don't seal the tiles down!
 
Ozkar;3514471; said:
I think the guy has been hammered enough. We all make mistakes.

Anytime someone tries a DIY project, we should encourage and support them. We all have setbacks in our projects; ideas that look good on paper, but don't work out in practice. (Like the coating stuff he tried to use that is not curing adequately.)

Why not tile the bottom? I have seen pics of some of the tiled bottom tanks, they can be quite beautiful! Just don't seal the tiles down!
Click to expand...

I agree
 
Ozkar;3514471; said:
I think the guy has been hammered enough. We all make mistakes.

Anytime someone tries a DIY project, we should encourage and support them. We all have setbacks in our projects; ideas that look good on paper, but don't work out in practice. (Like the coating stuff he tried to use that is not curing adequately.)

Why not tile the bottom? I have seen pics of some of the tiled bottom tanks, they can be quite beautiful! Just don't seal the tiles down!
Click to expand...



I don't think some people realize the amount of stress this has put on me,
and the money I'm loosing on top of it.
The reason I siliconed the slate tiles in the 1st place was because a member recommended I do so to prevent detritus from building underneath the tiles.
I didn't want the look of the clear silicone so I went with the black. It actually looked beautiful when I was done. It was exactly what I wanted, a bare bottom with a natural effect. There was noway I could get underneath the tiles because there were no edges to get to, it was that tight! So I decided to use the zoopoxy recommended to me again by another member.
Being that this product was used in zoos I didn't think it would cause this much trouble. I spoke to the tech guys at this compony and they said it was either the wrong mixing ratio or the weather. They even sent me another batch for free. Anyways, I'm mixing up what I have left right now because I don't have several hundred dollars to run out and get another tank.
 
I can imagine the stress you're going through.. I'd be going absolutely insane if I were in your shoes. For what it's worth though, I'd be following the suggestions of some members here and looking for a suitable solvent or other chemical to break down the zoopoxy enough for you to start ripping it out. If you use it sparingly and carefully I dont think you will have too much drama with your tank silicone, and if need be you can always run a new bead of silicone around the inside to be safe without too much hassle...

I really dont think adding anything on top of what you've already got is the right solution because you'll never be happy with the look of it. You say it looked exactly how you wanted before you got the zoopoxy onto it, so work on getting it back to that point. The suggestions to scrap it and get a new tank I think are just ridiculous. ABSOLUTE worst case scenario I can see is having to replace the bottom pane, not the whole tank.

-Dave
 
I would disassemble the whole tank. It'll be easier to get all that mess off the bottom when you're working on a flat pane of glass instead of the inside of a tank. Then reassemble/reseal.
 
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